Get the Edge You Want and Deserve!

It's time to take an honest look at ourselves and ask, "Do I project confidence, maturity, and competence?" How about "Would I want to work with me?" If the answers are "Not so much," help is here from three spirited, experienced, and articulate experts who show us how to "Knock ‘em dead!"

When "natural" needs help

We all know the old saying "Lipstick Economy" meaning that in hard times, women forgo big expenditures and make do with a new lipstick. For what lipstick can cost nowadays, you can get priceless advice from Bobbi Brown, the genius who makes natural look so beautiful. Inside the lavishly photographed, absolutely can-do how-to of Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual (Springboard, December 2008), her eight-page, ten-step guide to perfect makeup is alone worth the price of the book.

Can you ever hear it enough? "You two could be sisters!"

So your daughter looks like you did some (cough) years ago and you yearn for those golden days when you too could show all that skin. Don't. You CAN! Stylist-to-the-stars Sherrie Mathieson's Steal This Style (Clarkson Potter, April 2009) shows how simple it is to drop decades off your look. Whether it's business attire, sportswear, or evening dress, Mathieson borrows the freshest quality of a younger women's style and with just a few simple changes in proportion, color, and accessories makes it age-appropriate. Photos of grandmas, moms, and daughters prove it works both ways!

What really makes you feel young? Laughing.

While much of what you get in Clinton Kelly's Freakin' Fabulous (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, October 2008) can be filed under "Duh!" for anyone over 30, you will love the book's visuals, twenty-five creative recipes for hors d'oeuvres such as Endive BLTs and Lamb Dinner on Crostini, and Kelly's just-this-side-of-vulgar voice. Over and over again, I laughed out loud even though I know my fabulous grandmother from Chicago would've dropped her dentures. All of us could use a reminder about mixing four patterns (it can be done!), whether Valpolicella goes better with shellfish or veal, and how to light a room as if a Hollywood director was shooting Greta Garbo. The rest of the book is as fun as reading a decade's worth of Glamour Do's and Don'ts. Personally, for me, this never gets old.

Getting old is not something we can avoid. I do roll my eyes when I hear Botox-ed work-out addicts insist they "embrace aging," but staying open to the right advice from sensible experts can make the laugh lines deepen...in a good way.

A note from Beth Goehring:"I am so excited to write about books for CESLIE-The Women's Network™. Reading is not only a lifelong passion, but it's my job. As the editor-in-chief for a group of book clubs that includes Book-of-the-Month Club®, The Literary Guild®, Doubleday Book Club®, Mystery Guild®, and The Good Cook®, I hear the early buzz about what will soon be hot in everything from autobiography to zoology. In any week, my colleagues and I review hundreds of upcoming books to choose those that really deliver, whether it's with fascinating characters, an unforgettable story, a vicarious thrill, a wealth of useful information or compelling inspiration. Hands-down, the best thing about my job is finding that hidden gem, a novel that wasn't lavished with a huge marketing budget, not for lack of charm or quality, but because of a publisher's limited resources. When I can make a match between one of these unsung heroes and a grateful reader, then I've done my job well!"